The 2023 season was a vast improvement for UMass Boston women’s volleyball; it was their best season since 2018, finishing in fourth place in the Little East Conference, according to Beacons Athletics. Last Season, the Beacons finished with a 17-10 overall record and a 5-3 record in the conference. Their season came to a close in the second round of the LEC Tournament thanks to the eventual conference champions, UMass Dartmouth. Taryn Broughal led the team in kills with 170 and sophomore Amelia Devlin led the team with 140 assists.
The Beacons are currently ranked fourth in the Little East Conference preseason poll. Second-year head coach Stacy Cheney looks to improve on last season and surpass the high expectations of their peers.
On Friday, Aug. 30, the Beacons headed to New York City to take on New York University in the annual NYU volleyball tournament, with 400 spectators in attendance. The Violets of NYU started the season ranked sixth in NCAA Division 3. UMass Boston had a tough task awaiting them.
Both teams traded blows to start the game, but the Violets began to break away with a 19-10 lead late in the first set. UMass Boston slowly chipped away at the lead, getting the deficit down to just three points. The Violets led 24-21, and UMass Boston held all the momentum. However, NYU was able to sneak away, winning the first set 25-21.
The second set belonged to the Violets. They strung together multiple runs as high as six and cruised by UMass Boston, winning the second set 25-12.
The Beacons found themselves down 2-0 and NYU broke away early with a 7-4 lead to kick off the third and final set. The Beacons countered with a 4-0 run of their own, and took their first lead of the match at 8-7. The lead switched back and forth between both teams; neither were willing to let the other pull away. The Violets then took the Beacons by the horns and went on a 10-0 run to take the lead 20-14. UMass Boston responded with a 6-0 run, tying the game at 20, but it wasn’t enough. NYU took the set 25–20 and the match 3–0.
Senior Dylan Wertzberger led the Beacons with six kills in the game. Junior Amelia Devlin led the team with 11 assists. Sophomore Paige Coulson and Senior Toni Guerra both led the squad with eight digs (4).
The Beacons will look to start things on the right foot when they face Roger Williams University at home in the UMass Boston Volleyball Tournament on Sep. 6. They will play three games in two days for family weekend against Bridgewater State and Trinity College on Sep. 7.
